Part 2, NoÃ«lles Trap, where the *** is it!.

Sat Nov 05, 2005 1:30 am

Reagular readers will remember that NoÃ«lle had dropped a comment and Pat had remembered Karl sending a photo of a trap that someone has for sale, what should he do?

â€œWhat do you think of this thenâ€. Pat.
â€œDoesnâ€™t that just look a picture, the cats and hens, oh and look itâ€™s got lovely little steps to get up into, thatâ€™s just what I had in mindâ€. NoÃ«lle
â€œLooks a bit rotten to me look at all the green on it. Does have a certain charm though, youâ€™r right, shall we go and pick it up tomorrow morning?â€
â€œWow that would be great, we can clean it up, repaint and be on the road in a couple of weeks, you said itâ€™s near Karlâ€™s place, thatâ€™s not too far to go, 100km?â€ NoNo,
â€œJust a bit further I think, but OK weâ€™ll take the Landie and Trailer, be there in an hour or so, back for lunchâ€ Pat.

So that, dear readers is how now after another 6 months standing under a sheet, a new trap is beginning to surface in the old level crossing house that serves as workshop for Pat and NoÃ«lle.
10 days ago you would have found pat grinding off old bolt heads, drilling out screws, preserving pieces of rotting wood for their shape and form. He has very carefully taken the left side completely off the chassis, no thatâ€™s wrong; not chassis but a fibrous mass of pulp is a more realistic description of what is left.
One side went into the workshop and they carefully plotted and charted sizes of wood, joints, rails, and panels. The other stayed untouched as a control pattern if there is not enough of the rest to get details from. A lot of it did just fall apart. The sides are slightly angled back to give an impression of speed and aeodynamics . Not clear to the eye but just about 5 degrees, makes the mortice joint cutting just that more interesting!
Several â€œPlotsâ€ as they are known here planks otherwise, of various thicknesses of ash taken straight from the tree via the drying kiln and then left in the air to stabilise; were bought in Quimper and are now cut up planed up and some has even been put together as you will see from our photo. You will see the old side laid gently out on the new base bearers. The new equivalent side coming to life on the new chassis. There is also the steaming and shaping of the shafts to come sometime in the near future!
We on the team of the Mid FinistÃ¨re Herald, give our apologies for such a long rendering of this, an important part of the preservation programme of the local road transport history.
PS, as we think you will have guessed they didnâ€™t get back home for lunch! They were even too late for all the restaurants in Merdrignac and Loudeac. They ended up at about 3.12 PM at McDo. In Carhaix for a Giant everything, even for Difa the Dog. 519.6 kms in all.

Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:10 am

Now we know why that cart is called a trap.

Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:15 am

Great story Pat! Can't wait to see the finished cart.

Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:21 am

Pat

I've been following the Farmall Cub site for several years, but have not been regularly checking the "other" forums. Just this early Sunday morning, over coffee, I just read your wonderful 2 part story and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your narrative writing style, and the expressive nature of the story! You're truly a Romantic! Funny, I don't often have the enjoyment of sitting down with a good book as much as I would like to, perhaps because I have difficulty finding the sort of book I've come to enjoy. Your stories provided just what I hope for but infrequently find. The writing style, setting, and in addition to that the common interests. What a find! I enjoyed the mental pictures painted through your words.

I have taken my two kids to the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales in the UK to visit friends the past few years, and love the atmosphere of the old stone houses and narrow lanes. Of course as a visitor, I can seldom be more than an observer. Your stories have the ability to bring me there, but this time along as a participant.

I hope to encourage you to continue your sharing your writing, and will be following this forum much more actively.

Paul

Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:44 pm

Paul, well isn't that touching, I have led my life through winding lanes and 4 lane expressways, passing through several stressful times and some lovely realy wonderful times, BUT i don't think I have ever had such an appreciation of my work greater than you have just given me. Thank you.

The Cub really has got something, earlier in the summer I was running with Baby and about 100 other tractors in the centre of a medium sized town/village showing off our wares to the 3000 inhabitants with much success. Whilst going down a little almost uningabited road in the town a most beautiful harley davidson sidled up alongside the Cub, the driver leaned over, thumb in the air and very gently said "TrÃ¨s trÃ¨s bien, c'est le meillieur" (Very very good, it's just the best) and he puttered off as only a harley can.

I took that comment in the same vein as yours, Thanks again I'll have to put the thinking cap on again soon and ask our 'Mif FinistÃ¨re Reporter' to give us all something more to read
Pat